At Kingsbridge, all of our contractor insurance policies include Employers’ Liability insurance cover as standard, but this is not the case across the contractor insurance industry. Many insurers miss it off completely or make it an optional extra, causing many contractors to assume they don’t need it.

And we can see why you may think that. After all, you may well fit into the exemption category (you employ only yourself and own at least 50% of your share capital) as do many contractors. But this is not always the case and just because you are exempt now it doesn’t mean you will be a few months or years down the line.

The Contractor Insurance Checklist is our new blog series that will act as your guide to everything contractor insurance. Not only will it go into what the different aspects of contractor insurance are but, more importantly, they will explain why you need them and what could happen to you if you don’t have them.

Over the coming days and weeks, we’ll be running articles on various factors of contractor insurance so you can go through the parts you need to in an easily digestible format — after all, we know most contractors are too busy to be rummaging through huge, long guides.

IR35 is something that often comes up in discussions about contractor accounts and taxation. But what exactly is it and what does it mean for you? This article aims to give a straightforward definition of what IR35 is and what it’s designed to achieve.

A simple definition of IR35

IR35 is a part of the 2000 Finance Act that’s designed to prevent tax avoidance in certain circumstances. Specifically, it relates to people who perform the same functions as a business’s employees, but pay less tax by operating as self-employed contractors through a limited company.

So, if you left your job and then went back to the same company the following week and performed the exact same role but as a self-employed contractor via an intermediary limited company, IR35 legislates that you would pay more-or-less the same tax and NICs as regular employees of the business.

At Kingsbridge, we regularly get asked what the difference is between public liability insurance and professional indemnity insurance. A lot of people think they’re the same thing and wonder why both are included in our combined contractor insurance policy. The fact is, they’re different things and, as a contractor, you will more than likely need both. We’ve written this article to clearly lay out what the differences are.

George Osborne’s latest Budget as Chancellor passed today as expected, with no real surprises. There was good news for the self-employed, but the spectre of a clampdown on the use of Personal Service Companies (PSCs) by public sector employees still looms like a heavy cloud.

As we’ve mentioned on these pages before, Osborne’s tightening of the vice on the so-called ‘Paxman tax’ comes predominantly as a result of public outcry at perceived tax evasion by celebrities and sports stars. However, such measures will also impact those contractors working in the public sector, meaning that from April 2017 they will now face investigation from their clients and agencies to confirm whether they are ‘true contractors’ or simply a ‘disguised employee’. If the client or agency believes that the contractor in question is a disguised employee, it will be required to deduct tax at source from all payments made.

The beginning of the year can be a stressful time for everyone, with new resolutions to keep to, the return to work after Christmas excess, and the cold days of winter. For contractors, there’s also the added burden of the self-assessment deadline looming large at the end of January (the 31st to be exact). We can’t ever promise to make doing your tax returns any more fun (although we find a glass or two of wine tends to help), but we can give you some tips to help the process go more smoothly for this year and the years beyond. We know your time is at a premium so we’ll get on with our guide without any further fuss:

Make sure you submit your tax return on time

It might sound like a given, but you’d be surprised at the number of horror stories we’ve heard about contractors leaving things too late and not making the deadline (which, to remind you again, is 11:59pm on 31st January). If your tax return arrives after this point you’ll pick up a £100 fine. So check those internet connections, make sure you know where all your paperwork is, and give yourself more time than you think you’ll need.

When the time comes to renew your policy, we understand that you’ll often have questions. Sometimes our customers aren’t sure why they should renew, and aren’t aware of the many benefits of doing so. Over the next few posts we’ll share some of the key reasons for renewing your contractor insurance policy.

One of the most common questions we get asked at Kingsbridge Contractor Insurance is ‘Why do I need insurance?’ Let us explain.

No matter your industry, if you work as an independent contractor you’re providing your client with your services or your professional advice. If, during the course of your work, you make a mistake or an error that has an effect on your client or their business then they are well within their rights to make a claim against you. Because of this you’ll need to have the relevant insurances. Having the right insurance in place when a costly claim is made can be the difference between keeping you in business and having to shut your business down, something that could have a negative impact if you want to work as a contractor again in the future.

As you’ve seen on the blog in the past few weeks, we’ve been revisiting some of our favourite posts from the past year that you may have missed. We’ll be beginning original programming again shortly, but this week we wanted to draw your attention to one of our favourite infographics – the story of fracking in the UK.

There has been a slow-burning but very real concern rising in the UK due to the impending energy crisis. The threat of power cuts has been highlighted due to falling electricity margins, along with the need for the UK to pursue more renewable energy strategies. This has led to much ink being spilled in the British press on the issue of hydraulic fracturing – commonly known as fracking.

Fracking is the process of harvesting shale gas, deposits of which are found trapped in shale rock deep underground. A high pressure mix of water and chemicals is shot down specially drilled wells with the aim of releasing the gas.

There have been a great number of discussions about the safety of fracking; with some saying it poses a threat to the purity of drinking water, while others highlight fracking as the only real, actionable solution to Britain’s fuel shortage. Whatever the case, it’s fair to say that fracking has divided the opinion of the British public and is set to dominate the discussion around energy production for a significant amount of time.

We have decided to take a look at the story of fracking, and the pros and cons it offers the British energy industry by producing a scrolling infographic, taking in the past, present and future of fracking in the UK.

We’re taking another look at IR35 on the Kingsbridge Contractor Insurance blog today. This week – should you get your contract reviewed for IR35 compliance?

IR35 is the legislation on everyone’s lips and it’s a subject that we have covered a number of times. Since its passing into law in 2000, it’s been a priority for freelancers and contractors to make sure they don’t get caught in the IR35 net.

Some professional organisations now offer independent reviews of your contracts that check for IR35 compliance, giving you the peace of mind from the outset that you are not at risk of being caught out. This week, we’re going to investigate if these contract reviews are really worth it for independent professionals today.